In 1974 he wrote the music and the lyrics of the song "Le Premier Pas", which became the number 1 hit in France that year and sold over 1 million copies. Le Premier Pas was produced by Franck Pourcel.

Schönberg then made an album in which he sang his own songs. In 1978 he dedicated his full attention to musicals when he and Boublil conceived the idea for a stage musical version of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables, which opened at the Palais de Sports in Paris in 1980. The musical opened to acclaim in London in 1985 and on Broadway in 1987. The Broadway production was nominated for twelve Tony Awards and won eight, including Best Musical and Best Original Score.

In 1989, Schönberg and Boublil took London by storm with the musical Miss Saigon, which starred Lea Salonga and Jonathan Pryce. In its transition to Broadway, the show broke advance-ticket sales, earning $24 million before its premiere on April 11, 1991 [3]. The show was nominated for ten Tony awards, including Best Musical and Best Original Score.

2001 saw the composition of Schönberg's first ballet score, Wuthering Heights.[1] This production was performed by the United Kingdom's Northern Ballet Theatre Company in September 2002.

The Pirate Queen

Schönberg's latest project with Boublil is The Pirate Queen, a musical about the 16th century Irish pirate, chieftain and adventuress Grace O'Malley. The Pirate Queen completed its 8-week pre-Broadway tryout at Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre on November 26, 2006. The show underwent further development in preparation for its Broadway previews at the Hilton Theater in March 2007. The Broadway opening date was April 5, 2007. Miss Saigon co-lyricist Richard Maltby, Jr. came on-board to work with Boublil on revisions to the book and lyrics. Additionally, Graciela Daniele worked on the musical staging.

Following a critical savaging and poor ticket sales, The Pirate Queen closed on June 17, 2007 after 85 performances and 32 previews, resulting in a loss of almost $18 million, ranking it among the largest commercial flops in Broadway history. The cast recording was released on July 3, 2007.

Les Misérables celebrated its twentieth anniversary in London on 8 October 2005. The Broadway production closed on May 18, 2003, making it the third-longest-running Broadway musical following Cats and The Phantom of the Opera. Schönberg is currently overseeing the production of Les Misérables that returned to Broadway for an intended six-month engagement at the Broadhurst Theatre on November 9, 2006, although it later extended its run.